Fuel control switches on the engines of an Air India flight that tragically crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the loss of 260 lives, were switched from the “run” to the “cutoff” position just moments before impact, according to a preliminary investigation report.
Released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, the report refrains from drawing conclusions or assigning blame for the disaster on 12 June. However, it notes that one pilot inquired of the other why he had cut off the fuel, to which the response was that he had not.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was en route from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it went down, claiming the lives of all but one of the 242 individuals aboard, along with 19 people on the ground.
In the 15-page report, the investigation bureau noted that after the aircraft reached its maximum recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec.”
As a result, the aircraft began to rapidly lose altitude.
Subsequently, the switches reverted to the “RUN” position, and the engines appeared to regain power, but “one of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY’,” the report detailed.
Air traffic controllers inquired about the situation, but soon witnessed the plane crash and promptly called emergency responders to the site.
Investigation ongoing
Earlier this week, the specialist website The Air Current, citing several sources familiar with the inquiry, reported that the focus has been “narrowed to the movement of the engine fuel switches”, adding that a complete analysis may take “months – if not longer”.
It also mentioned that “the focus of the investigators could evolve during that timeframe”.
The Indian agency’s report highlighted that the US Federal Aviation Administration had issued an information bulletin in 2018 regarding “the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature”.
Although this concern was not classified as an “unsafe condition” warranting more serious action, Air India informed investigators that it did not perform the suggested inspections, as they were deemed “advisory and not mandatory”.
One passenger miraculously survived: a British citizen who was seen emerging from the wreckage.
The report clarified that Air India was compliant with all airworthiness directives and service bulletins concerning the aircraft.
The investigation bureau indicated that there were “no recommended actions for B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers”, implying no technical issues with either the engines (GE) or the aircraft (Boeing).
Boeing did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The bureau reiterated that the investigation is ongoing, with further evidence and information being “sought from stakeholders”.
The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization mandates that states leading an investigation must provide a preliminary report within 30 days post-accident.
U.S. and British air accident investigators are participating in the inquiry.
The flight was carrying 230 passengers—comprising 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian—alongside 12 crew members.
A number of individuals on the ground sustained injuries.
One passenger remarkably survived, noted as a British citizen who was observed walking out of the crash wreckage, and has since been discharged from the hospital.
Initially, health officials in the Indian state of Gujarat reported at least 279 fatalities; however, forensic scientists later adjusted the figure after identifying multiple scattered and severely burned remains.
